Automatic water-feed for boilers.



.No. 722,549. PATENTBD MAR. 10, 1903.

. 0. WILKINS. AUTOMATIC WATER FEED FOR BOILERS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1901.

N0 MODEL.

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PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES \VILKINS, OF EAST FARNHAM, CANADA.

AUTOMATIC WATER- FEED FOR BOILERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 722,549, dated Mer'en io, 1903. Application filed July 31, 1901. Serial No 70,310. (No model.)

To all whmn it'may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES WILKINS, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at East Farnham, in the Province of Quebec, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Water-Feeds for Boilers, of which the following is a full and complete specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to apparatus for automatically supplying boilers with water; and its object is to provide an apparatus of this character which will not only automatically feed the water to the boilers as required, but will also automatically regulate the quantity of the Water thus fed to the boiler and the time at which the water shall begin to feed and be cut off.

A further object is to provide an automatic water feed for boilers which is simple in construction, efiective and reliable in operation, and which can be readily applied to any boiler or hot-water apparatus.

To these ends the invention consists in an apparatus for automatically regulating the supply of water to boilers, &c., constructed substantially as hereinafter illustrated and described,and defined in theappended claims.

The drawing illustrates in elevation, parts being in section to show the construction, anapparatus for automatically regulating the supply of water to a boiler constructed in accordance with my invention.

The boiler A may be of any ordinary type and construction and is provided with a suitable support CL for a regulating device, which consists, preferably, of a float-chamber a and a valve-chamber (0 which are separated by means of the partition a and are independent of each other, but both of which communicate, by means of suitable pipes, with the interior of the boilerA at a suitable point below the water-level thereof. The upper por-. tion of the float-chamber a communicates,by means of the pipe 0%, with the steam-dome of the boiler A, whereby a constant pressure is maintained upon the water in said chamber, causing it to remain at the same level as in the boiler. The float is connected, by means of a rod, to the beam a, which is pivotally mounted in the partition a and to the other end of the said beam is pivotally connected the rodor stem of the valve, inclosed within and operating against a suitable valve-seat in the valve-chamber a The upper portion of the valve-chamber a communicates, by means of a valved pipe, with the interior of the feed-tank B, which for convenience is shown mounted upon the boiler A.

The feed-tank B may be of any capacity suitable for its intended purpose and communicates at its upper portionby means of a suitable valved pipe b with the reservoir B, which may be of any desired character and located at any convenient point.

Within the tank 13 operates afloat b, which is connected by the rod 19 to the slide-valve 29 which operatesin a suitable valve-casing to open and close the ports communicating with the piston-chamber b. A suitable piston b is mounted in said chamber and is adapted to reciprocate between the said ports, as will be readily understood. The rod of the piston 79 is pivotally connected to an arm of the bell-crank lever b which is pivotally mounted upon a suitable bracket-support secured upon the tank B and by which the piston-chamber b is also supported. To the other arm of the bell-crank lever b is pivotally linked the stem of the slide-valve 11 which operates in the valve-chamber b to open and close the ports (1 01', leading from the interior of the tank 13 to the atmosphere and controlling the admission of the steam from the boiler to the interior of the tank 13 through the pipe I) and port d in an obvious manner. The steam is admitted to the valvechamber 19 from the boiler by means of the pipe I) and passes from the valve-chamber b to the tank through the port cl when the valve is in the position shown in the drawings, at which time the port (Z, leading from the tank to the atmosphere, is of course closed.

Steam is admitted to the valve-casing of the valve b by means of the pipe b leading from the boiler A, as is clearly shown.

The position of the parts above described is that assumed when the boiler is supplied with sufficient water. When the water in the boiler is lowered to such a level (which may be predetermined) as to cause the water to flow out of the float-chamber a, thus causing the float therein to descend, the valve is raised from its seat in the valve-chamber a through the medium of the beam of. The water will then flow from the tank B until the float-chamber is again filled, forcing the float upward to its normal position and closing the valve in the valve-chamber a thus cutting off the fiowot' water to the boiler. As the water is lowered in the tank B the float b descends and the valve 19 moves to admit the steam-pressure above the piston b forcing said piston downward and operating the valve 1) through the bell-crank lever b and connections to cut ed the steam-pressure and open the ports communicating from the tank to the atmosphere, and thus permitting the water to flow into the tank B from the reservoir B.

It is to be understood that the details of the construction shown and described herein may be altered at will without departing from the scope of the invention.

What I claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a boiler, of a feedtank having a steam-inlet port and an exhaust-port, a steam-pipe adapted to admit boiler-pressure to said tank, a supply-reservoir communicating with said feed-tank, a float arranged in said feed-tank and adapted to be operated by the water therein, a slidevalve adapted to open and close the communication between the steam-pipe and the tank and between the tank and the atmosphere, intermediary connections between said float and said slide-valve, a regulating device GOIllmunicating with said boiler for controlling the water-feed thereto, said regulating device consisting of a valve-chamber communicating with the said feed-tank and with the boiler, a float-chamber communicating with the steamdome and with the boiler, a partition separating the two said chambers, a beam pivoted in said partition, a float in said float-chamber having its rod pivotally connected to one end of said beam and a valve in the said valvechamber, havingits stem pivotally connected to the other end of saidbeam, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a boiler, of a feedtank, a supply-reservoir communicating with said feed-tank, a float arranged in said feedtank and adapted to be operated by the water therein, a steam-cylinder mounted on said tank, a valve-casing communicating with said cylinder by suitable ports, a slide-valve in said casing connected with said float and adapted to open and close said ports, a piston arranged in said cylinder and adapted to reciprocate between said ports, a steam-pipe connecting said valve-easing with the said boiler, a bell-crank lever pivotallymonnted upon the cylinder-support and pivotally connected at one end to the rod of said piston, a steam-chest mounted on said feed-tank and having inlet and outlet ports communicating with said tank and with the atmosphere, a steam-pipe connecting said steam-chest with the boiler, a slide-valve connected to the other end of said bellcrank lever and adapted to control the said ports, whereby the steam may be admitted to and cut off from the feed-tank and the communication between the said tank and the atmosphere opened or closed by the movement of the said float, a regulating device communicating with said boiler for controlling the water-feed thereto and a valved pipe connecting the said feed-tank with the said regulating device, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing witnesses, this 25th day of July, 1901.

CHARLES WILKINS.

Witnesses:

H. J. DREAPER, M. O. HART. 

